The claim is that Hulu Plus subscribers watch less commercials, but it that really true. And if there are less commercials, how much less?

I'm a bit skeptical when Hulu marketing info states that paying subscribers help keep costs down. The reality for all advertising business models is to maximize profits through advertising. If Hulu has companies buying ad time for for TV series XXX, I can't see them turning down money because they have a policy of only couple minutes (or whatever) of ads for paying subscribers. I would suspect that if they could match the networks with 18-19 minutes of of ads per hour, Hulu would do it.

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Two Series 3 TiVos, One TiVo Premiere, all with lifetime subs.
One dedicated media server with Steambaby and other media services.
Use VideoRedo for editing TiVo files.
Tivo user since 1999.

you have the added pleasure of paying extra for commercials when you subscribe to hulu+!

before my comments generate angst, let me add that my opinion is not based on scientific or measurable data, only my horrid two failed attempts to subscribe and enjoy programming using hulu+.

there were frequent unpleasant glitches, like never ending commercial loops halfway through episodes that prevent finishing the show, repeat airings of the same commercial over, and over, and over again, ad nauseum, and little effort on the part of hulu+ to support the product.

my opinion is completely biased.

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The truth will set you free. But not until it is finished with you. - David Foster Wallace

While there may be less adds, they are more annoying as you cannot fast forward through them. In addition, if you drop out of a show and then resume, it will force an initial add on you all over again.

No Hulu+ for me. Much prefer the netflix model, and there is plenty of content to skip the annoyances of Hulu.

Never tried Hulu+, but I found free Hulu to be not worth the price! Even with fewer commercials, they seem very annoying, and I don't trust them not to increase the number of ads. If I'm going to pay, I don't want ads, especially unskippable ones.

I have used both (Hulu & Hulu+), for shows that are on both I don't think there are any less adds on Hulu+ versus Hulu. However there are some shows/movies on Hulu+ only and the movies do seem to have less commercials (have seen a few without commercials). I also have not found much use for Hulu+ but do use Hulu (via a HTPC attached to my home theater setup) and do find it useful at times.

I've figured out a way to skip commercials in hulu plus. It has worked 100% of the times I've tried, but it is a bit of an annoying process (button combination to stop the stream and then restart) that I'd rather just watch the short Hulu+ commercials and not have to touch the remote. But I was so spoiled by Commercial Advance that any time I have to touch a remote to skip commercials I get annoyed.

Ad breaks on Hulu are shorter than the corresponding ad break on TV. Where TV breaks may have four or more ads (2 minutes or longer in duration) ad breaks on Hulu are usually one or two ads (30-60 seconds).

It's not as nice as being able to skip the ad on a DVR but if I had recorded the show I would not be watching on Hulu+.

My TiVo tends to skip over Hulu+ ads on its own. I watch The Daily Show on Hulu+ because I only have limited basic cable. 80% of the time the show goes to an ad break and then the show resumes after 4 or 5 seconds without showing an ad. Neither my Blu-Ray player nor my Roku exhibit this behavior.

I would prefer HULUPLUS ads over normal TV ads any day. Depending on the show you pick that max ad you might see if 2 or 3. Normally we see about 2. If you load a movie then none. The ads are remarkably small and short in comparison to TV ads that seems to be forever! If broadcast and cable want to survive they need to take a close look at how Hulu does business and mirror that design. This way a subscriber is not so quick to hit FF. Hulu is even making a change that many of the kids programing ads have been eliminated. Also if you have not taken advantage of this offer, just fill in the form to take Hulu for a 6month trial. We finished our trial last Christmas and have been more than happy to pay the $7.99 a month. It's worth it, but don't take my word for it see for yourself and then you be the judge. That is unless you prefer the standard 2 week trial.

I got sick and tired, yes truely tired, of seeing "Web Only" for many of the new shows and other content I was interested in.

If I watch exclusively on my PC, I get the exact number of adds and I stopped paying for Hulu+.

So "Free" Hulu and "pay" Hulu+ deffinetely have the same number of commercials. You are simply paying for the benefit of using a non-PC appliance for access. That benefit also only extends to content Hulu had received streaming rights to other than just PC. The number of "Web Only" notices are due to content that had not been renegotiated or was too expense for the full meal-deal versus "Web ONly".

But if they are only on Hulu+ as you stated, you can't compare the commercial time to Hulu.

To some extent that is true as Hulu does appear to very the number and duration of commercials depending on the show. But in general I thought the Hulu+ only shows tended to have less minutes of commercials than the Hulu only shows or shows that were available on both. Of course I do not use Hulu that much and only turn on Hulu+ now and then so my observation is based on a very limited number of shows.

To some extent that is true as Hulu does appear to very the number and duration of commercials depending on the show. But in general I thought the Hulu+ only shows tended to have less minutes of commercials than the Hulu only shows or shows that were available on both. Of course I do not use Hulu that much and only turn on Hulu+ now and then so my observation is based on a very limited number of shows.

No, it's 100% true. When the question is about the number of commercials on plus vs free Hulu, you can not say something that is only on plus has fewer commercials because there is nothing to compare it to.

__________________discipuli nostrum bardissimi sunt.
- Assuming based on evidence is not the same as knowing.
- If you want to argue with me at least use some actual facts instead of making it up.

The claim is that Hulu Plus subscribers watch less commercials, but it that really true. And if there are less commercials, how much less?

I'm a bit skeptical when Hulu marketing info states that paying subscribers help keep costs down. The reality for all advertising business models is to maximize profits through advertising. If Hulu has companies buying ad time for for TV series XXX, I can't see them turning down money because they have a policy of only couple minutes (or whatever) of ads for paying subscribers. I would suspect that if they could match the networks with 18-19 minutes of of ads per hour, Hulu would do it.

While there are less commercials during a Hulu program. Something like 3 minutes to 7 minutes of commercials for an hour long show. It is much less than the 22 minutes of commercials per hour for a broadcast show.

I actually watch more commercials with Hulu+ than I do from a broadcast recording since I skip over them with my TiVo. WIth Hulu+, many of the commercials are 15 seconds to 30 seconds so I don't mind watching them. But when they are 1 minute long, that is too long. But even still I am more likely to watch those minute long commercials than commercials from a recording made with my TiVo.

No, it's 100% true. When the question is about the number of commercials on plus vs free Hulu, you can not say something that is only on plus has fewer commercials because there is nothing to compare it to.

Sure there is, it becomes a relative/overall comparison instead of one about a certain show (and by the way I believe Hulu changes the number/amount of commercials over time even for the same show). Just like I certainly can say the amount of commercials played during an show on Hulu+ is less than the amount of commercials played during the same length show on any of the OTA commercial networks.

Of course if someone wants to know if for the same show at the same moment in time if the number and length of commercials is the same while playing the show through a Hulu+ account as it is while playing it through a Hulu account, well then I can not answer that as I have never tested it out and I am guessing very few people have.

How much more content is available on Hulu+ vs free Hulu? Is it merely longer archive of old episodes, or is there much more?

I am currently using Hulu on a Media PC that I bought connected via HDMI to my 55" TV. Someone mentioned HD isn't on the free Hulu, but I was able to watch Celebrity Apprentice last week in HD.

What does it offer? I haven't been able to figure that out yet with all the marketing hype.

Thanks
-Mike

When you access Hulu on a PC via a web browser you can see all the content. If the content is Hulu+ only it simple will not play and you will see a notice that a Hulu+ account is required to view it. I do not believe anything streamed through Hulu is actually in HD - the best I can select is High quality which is not HD. When/If you are a Hulu+ member you can specifically select HD for shows that have an HD stream available.

This thread echoes one of the many reasons why I don't use streaming services. If services like Hulu+ didn't charge me for their service and then force me to watch commercials I might consider using them. The fact that I can't skip past the commercials takes them out of consideration for any type of service I'd be willing to pay for.

I can get any show I want without being subjected to commercials. If I don't have a channel as part of my FIOS Xtreme HD package (or whatever they're calling it these days) I can find programs elsewhere in HD with AC-3 soundtracks and no commercials. In fact, I can usually get a new show downloaded to my PC in less than 15 minutes.

No. I'm not recommending that anyone break the law to obtain TV programming. I'm just stating the obvious that it's out there with no commercials and no fees. I have no problem with Hulu+ or any other internet service charging for TV programming. I do have a problem with them forcing me to watch commercials on top of it.

If they provided the shows commercial-free then it would be a worthwhile service. If they want to keep the commercials intact then we should be able to view the programs for free. Otherwise, they're double-dipping and collecting fees from both the subscribers and the advertisors. It's corporate greed at it's highest. What really ticks me off is that the programming is mostly available for free via OTA and is easily recorded with the ability to skip past commercials. I refuse to pay for any service that holds me hostage during a commercial break.